The second female newscaster to have an on-air medical incident this year frightened viewers and co-workers when she collapsed during her weekend weather report.
Jessica Robb of CTV Edmonton slurred her speech and almost collapsed while reporting on Jan. 10.
Los Angeles meteorologist, Alissa Carlson Schwartz of KCAL-TV, fainted on Mar. 18.
Schwartz suffered an injury to her head when she fell. After staying several days at a hospital, Schwartz provided a medical update.
Doctors noted that Schwartz’s collapse was likely due to vasovagal syncope, a common cause of fainting. According to the Mayo Clinic, a vasovagal syncope event happens when a body “overreacts to certain triggers, such as the sight of blood or extreme emotional distress.”
Certain triggers can cause a person’s heart rate and blood pressure to drop quickly — the lack of blood to the brain can cause a person to black out. Individuals often report feeling dizzy and having clammy skin or blurred vision or nausea before fainting.
Doctors note that dehydration and food deprivation are common risk factors for vasovagal syncope.
Schwartz reported she felt fine up “until about 15 minutes prior to the incident.” She shared that shortly before going on air, she started to feel “a little nausea” but decided to “power through” her upcoming segment of the broadcast.
Schwartz also reported skipping breakfast that morning and was “a little dehydrated from drinking coffee.”
The meteorologist disclosed she had fainted before and was previously diagnosed with a leaky heart valve.
Schwartz said the disconcerting on-air event is a “wake-up call” and she will “take better care” of herself. She is now urging others to get “enough sleep and [to stay] hydrated.”
“Sometimes we put ourselves last,” said Schwartz. “We go go go until something happens, and then it’s too late,” Schwartz warned.
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